- iOS 27 will run on iPhone 11 and newer, but its highest‑end AI tools are gated to the newest hardware.
Apple's software chief Craig Federighi confirmed that expressive Siri voices and a revamped dictation engine need the most powerful silicon. Only the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPads with M4 chips and 12 GB RAM, Macs with M3 chips and 12 GB RAM, and Vision Pro with M5 will receive the full suite when iOS 27 ships this fall.
The restriction matters because it creates a clear performance tier: older flagship models like the iPhone 16 Pro Max get a refreshed Siri experience, but they miss the voice‑customisation sliders and the near‑real‑time punctuation improvements. Developers and power users will have to decide whether the AI upgrade justifies upgrading hardware.
In short, Apple’s AI push is another instance of feature‑splitting that nudges consumers toward its latest devices.